Executive Chef

Placement Services Recruitment; Sandton; On-site; ZAR 1,200,000 - 1,600,000; Full time

Job summary

Placement Services Recruitment is seeking an experienced Executive Chef for a prestigious five-star luxury hotel. You will lead culinary operations across restaurant, banqueting, private dining and breakfast, driving exceptional food quality, presentation and guest satisfaction while ensuring profitability.

You will mentor Sous Chefs and culinary teams, develop innovative menus, manage food costs, stock, and compliance with food safety standards, and collaborate with F&B and Front Office to meet

Qualifications

• Relevant formal Culinary, Hospitality or Food Service qualification, or equivalent practical experience.
• Minimum 2 years' experience as an Executive Chef, Executive Sous Chef or similar senior culinary management position.
• Experience within a five-star hotel, luxury hospitality environment or high-end restaurant is strongly preferred.
• Proven experience managing high-volume breakfast and banqueting operations, restaurants and private dining.
• Strong experience in food-cost management, menu costing, stock control, purchasing and wastage reduction.
• Proven ability to lead, coach and develop culinary teams.
• Experience in menu development and creating commercially viable culinary concepts.
• Excellent written and verbal English communication skills.
• Computer literacy, including Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook.
• Strong knowledge of food safety, hygiene and health and safety standards.

Responsibilities

• Provide overall culinary leadership and direction across all kitchen operations.
• Lead, train, develop and motivate Sous Chefs, supervisors and culinary teams.
• Develop innovative, creative and commercially viable menus.
• Manage menu engineering and ensure accurate food costing.
• Take ownership of food-cost performance, portion control, purchasing, stock variances and wastage.
• Work closely with the Purchasing department to ensure quality products and value for money.
• Maintain consistently high standards of food quality, presentation, portioning and service.
• Ensure compliance with all food safety, hygiene, sanitation, health and safety requirements.
• Manage kitchen staffing, scheduling and labour productivity.
• Develop team members through coaching, mentoring and structured skills development.
• Participate in recruitment, interviewing, onboarding and performance management.
• Handle guest feedback and concerns relating to food and kitchen operations.
• Work closely with Food & Beverage and Front Office teams to accommodate guest requirements and dietary needs.
• Monitor operational performance against budgets, forecasts and agreed objectives.
• Contribute to F&B initiatives, promotions, events and unique culinary experiences.
• Ensure exceptional standards are maintained during high-volume breakfast services, banqueting and special events
• Maintain strong operational controls and ensure efficient use of kitchen resources
• Monitor kitchen equipment and ensure all equipment is properly maintained and operational
• Ensure effective stock management and minimise food wastage and stock losses
• Maintain a clean, organised and professional kitchen environment at all times
• Ensure kitchen operations consistently meet the hotel's quality and service standards

Skills

Executive leadership

Menu planning

Food cost management

Staff development

Quality standards

Communication skills

English (verbal/written)

Education

Culinary / Hospitality qualification

Tools

Microsoft Word

Excel

Outlook

Job description

A prestigious five-star luxury hotel is seeking an experienced, creative and commercially driven Executive Chef to lead its culinary operations. The successful candidate will be responsible for the overall culinary direction, operational performance and profitability of the hotel's kitchen operations.

The ideal candidate will provide strategic and hands-on leadership across restaurant operations, private dining, special dining experiences, breakfast and banqueting, ensuring consistently high standards of food quality, presentation, creativity and guest satisfaction.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide overall culinary leadership and direction across all kitchen operations

• Lead, train, develop and motivate Sous Chefs, supervisors and culinary teams

• Develop innovative, creative and commercially viable menus

• Manage menu engineering and ensure accurate food costing

• Take ownership of food-cost performance, portion control, purchasing, stock variances and wastage

• Work closely with the Purchasing department to ensure quality products and value for money

• Maintain consistently high standards of food quality, presentation, portioning and service

• Ensure compliance with all food safety, hygiene, sanitation, health and safety requirements

• Manage kitchen staffing, scheduling and labour productivity

• Develop team members through coaching, mentoring and structured skills development

• Participate in recruitment, interviewing, onboarding and performance management

• Handle guest feedback and concerns relating to food and kitchen operations

• Work closely with Food & Beverage and Front Office teams to accommodate guest requirements and dietary needs

• Monitor operational performance against budgets, forecasts and agreed objectives

• Contribute to F&B initiatives, promotions, events and unique culinary experiences

• Ensure exceptional standards are maintained during high-volume breakfast services, banqueting and special events

• Maintain strong operational controls and ensure efficient use of kitchen resources

• Monitor kitchen equipment and ensure all equipment is properly maintained and operational

• Ensure effective stock management and minimise food wastage and stock losses

• Maintain a clean, organised and professional kitchen environment at all times

• Ensure kitchen operations consistently meet the hotel's quality and service standards

Minimum Requirements

• Relevant formal Culinary, Hospitality or Food Service qualification, or equivalent practical experience

• Minimum 2 years' experience as an Executive Chef, Executive Sous Chef or similar senior culinary management position

• Experience within a five-star hotel, luxury hospitality environment or high-end restaurant is strongly preferred

• Proven experience managing high-volume breakfast and banqueting operations, restaurants and private dining

• Strong experience in food-cost management, menu costing, stock control, purchasing and wastage reduction

• Proven ability to lead, coach and develop culinary teams

• Experience in menu development and creating commercially viable culinary concepts

• Excellent written and verbal English communication skills

• Computer literacy, including Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook

• Strong knowledge of food safety, hygiene and health and safety standards

Ideal Candidate

The successful candidate will demonstrate strong leadership within a five-star hospitality environment, a genuine passion for culinary excellence, exceptional guest service and a strong commitment to people development.

Strong commercial judgement, communication, organisational skills, creativity and attention to detail are essential. The candidate must be comfortable leading a diverse culinary team within a fast-paced, high-volume operation and have the ability to balance culinary creativity with sound financial and operational management.